Automatic drain and discharge trap for refrigerator cars



1,613 908 Jan. 11 1927. A SANDMAN AUTOMATIC DRAIN AND DISCHARGE TRAP FORREFRIGERATOR CARS Filed 1'7, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Jan. 11,1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUs'r G. SANDMAN, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND A lication filed may 17,1921-. {Serial No. 470,438.

The invention relates to an automatic trap and discharge pipe for use onrefrigerator cars.

The principal object of the invention, broadly stated, is to provide acombined automatic drain and discharge trap for refrigerator car outletpipes of simple and sturdy construction, efiicient in operation, andinexpensive to manufacture. I

Another object of the invention is to provide a combined drain anddischarge pipe so constructed and arranged as to automatically return toservice condition after the same has been displaced therefrom for thepurpose of cleaning. I

Still another'ob'ect of the invention is to provide a combined drain anddischarge trap with automatic means for-locking the same in serviceposition.

In the drawings, wherein I- have illustrated a single embodiment of theinven tion,-

Figurel is a topplan view, partly 1n section, of the discharge outletfor a refrigerator car ice hatch showing the automatic drain and trapwhich is the subject of my invention, portions of the car adjacent thesaid elements being broken away for the sake of clearness.

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the construction shown in Fig.1, a portion of the car framing being broken away in order to moreclearly disclose the invention.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Figure 1 is a transverse section on the line 1-l, of Fig. 1.

Throughout the specification and drawings like parts are designated bylike reference characters. V

1 designates the side wall of a refrigerator car, 2 the main fioorthereof, 3 one of the side sills, 4 a transverse or cross sill, 5 theinner flooring, and 6 one of the spacer blocks interposed between thefloor 2 and the inner flooring 5 of a refrigerator car. Passingv throughthe inner flooring 5 and between the blocks 6 and adjacent one of thetransverse beams 4t, is one of the discharge outlet pipes 7 of therefrigerator car. The lower end of the pipe 7 extends a short distancebelow the lower face of the cross sill 4 so as to form with the combineddrain and discharge trap 8 a water seal to prevent the inflow of air tothe ice chamber of the refrigerator car.

The combined drainand discharge trap preferably comprises a cup shapedmember 8 provided on the opposite side walls adjacent the center of thesaid cup, with upwardly extending outwardly projecting pivot-lugs ort'runnions 9, the latter being pivotally connected to the carunderfram'e through members 10 which are provided with trunnionreceiving openings 11. The said members 10 are preferably supported bymeans of bolts 12 which extend through a portion of the underframe andthrough openings in the said members, said members 10 being rigidlysupported said bolts through the nuts 13 thereof. The cup shaped drainis provided with a discharge pipe 14,-the inlet end of which, in normalposition, lies above the outlet end of the dis charge' pipe 7. Thedischarge trap 8 is valso provided, on opposite sides of the trunnions9, with a weighted 111g 15 and a hooked projection 16, respectively;Pivotally connected to the car underframe, preferably by means of apivot bracket-17 attached to the car underframe in any convenientmanner,

as by nails 18, is an automatic catch 19 which is adapted to engagebeneath the lug 16 to maintain the member 8 in service position.Preferably the locking member 19 is in the form of a bell crank and isprovided with a weighted end 20 and with a slot 21 in the opposite crankarm in which the said hook 16 is adapted to be received. The portion atthe end of the locking arm is curved or rounded on its outer face topermit the in clined face 22 of the lug 16 to force the same inwardly soas to permit the automatic locking of the member 8 when the same isswung from an open to service position. The weighted lug 15 hereinbeforedescribed is adapted to overbalance the member 8 when the same is empty,as will hereinafter be more fully described.

After continued use the combined discharge drain and trap fills withsediment and it is necessary in order to maintain the device in workingcondition to clean these traps at intervals. Heretofore these dischargetraps have been so connected as to require the operator to first movethe same to closed position and then while maintaining the same inclosed position to operate the locking mechanism, and it has been foundthat on numerous occasions the operators through inadvertence often failto close the traps, permitting air to enter the discharge therefrigerator car.

pipe. This failure results in the rapid melt ing of the ice andconsequent loss to the railroads due to damage to the contentsof By myconstructionI avoid all possibility of this taking place by providing anautomatic self closing trap. The weighted lug 15 is connected to thedrain 8 by means of flanges 23 and is located as to positively swing thetrap into horizontal position after the same has been cleaned, thisclosing movement being independent of the operator. By combining theself-closing trap With an automatic locking device actu-v ated bythe-closing movement of the trap I avoid all possibility of neglect onthe part of the operator causing injury to the contents of therefrigerator car, since, as hereinbefore stated, the closing of thetrap, that is, the positioning of the trap in correct position, is notdependent upon manual operation, and hence neglect on thepart of thetrainman or operator cannot result in leaving the drain outlet open soas to permit air to enter the ice hatch of the car. 7

I claim 2 1. A combined trap and drain for the discharge pipe of arefrigerator car, comprising a hollow member pivotally connected to thecar body by trunnions formed on the side walls of said member, a Weightprojecting from one side of said member for automatically rotating thesame to a horizontal position, and a gravity actuated locking devicecarried by the car body and adapted to engage the hollow member formaintaining said member in locked position.

2. A combined trap and drain outlet for the discharge pipe of arefrigerator car, comprising a pivotally mounted cup shaped member saidpivot being located at one side of the center of gravity of said member,means carried by said member for automatically restoring the same tohorizontal posi tion, and gravity actuated locking means carried by thecar and means carried by said member for moving said locking meansfromlocking position when said member is actuated by said first named means.

The combination with a refrigerator car body having floor portions adischarge pipe extending through said floor portions, a combined trapand drain involving a hollon member, means pivotally connecting saidhollow member to the body, a discharge opening provided in said memberand arranged substantially in alinement with the means pivotallyconnecting. said member, means including a weighted portion provided onsaid hollow member upon one side of the pivotal means for returning saidhollow member to normally closed position, and a gravity latch carriedby the car body for retaining said member in such position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

AUGUST G. SANDMAN.

